❓WHAT HAPPENED: A newly constructed bridge in China’s Sichuan province partially collapsed following heavy landslides, just months after its opening.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Local authorities in Maerkang city, Sichuan Road & Bridge Group, and rescue teams.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The Hongqi Bridge in Shuangjiangkou, Sichuan Province, collapsed on Tuesday after being closed to traffic the day prior.
🎯IMPACT: No injuries or fatalities were reported, but the collapse underscores poor oversight in infrastructure projects.
A section of the newly constructed, 758-metre Hongqi Bridge in China’s Sichuan province collapsed on Tuesday. The bridge was hailed as a major achievement in China’s national highway system, and served as a key connection point between China’s Sichuan province, Tibet, and its technology center in Shenzhen.
In viral footage, a section of the bridge appears to be crushed under a landslide, causing an additional length of its span to collapse. Officials in nearby Maerkang city stated that the landslide was triggered by a destabilization of the mountain above the bridge. They contend that an accumulation of water from a nearby reservoir caused cracks in the earth, which resulted in the landslide.
Why can’t we build beautiful bridges in a few m9nths, like Chiana?
Ask a chorus of imbeciles on X almost daily.
Because we build them to last, cretins.
Another triumph of Socialism! The Hongqi bridge in Sichuan did not make it to its first birthday.
pic.twitter.com/R85W8EJPVv— Saul Montes-Bradley (@Debradelai) November 12, 2025
Prior to the collapse, police had closed the bridge, citing the landslide risk. Videos circulating online show the moment the bridge gave way, with dust billowing into the air before the road fell hundreds of meters. Additional footage shows large sections of the bridge missing and the remaining roadway hanging precariously over the river below.
By Tuesday afternoon, worsening conditions on the mountainside led to landslides that caused the approach bridge and roadbed to give way. Local officials say that no injuries or fatalities were reported.
The Hongqi Bridge, constructed by Sichuan Road & Bridge Group, was completed earlier this year and celebrated as a milestone in connecting Sichuan with the Tibetan Plateau. An investigation into the cause of the failure is currently underway.
Notably, China has a long history of construction collapses caused by cost-saving and corner-cutting measures. Additionally, the use of substandard concrete is a major problem in China, with some saying the material is more akin to Play-Doh than actual concrete.
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